Texas Gold

by Tracy Garrett

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Rachel squinted against the flickering light, trying to hide her fatigue behind indignation. “I have no idea what you mean. Give me my lamp, please.”

  “Don’t get all riled up.” He handed her the lantern, but caught her chin before she could move. “You look like hell.” He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wiped at the dirt on her cheek. “When was the last time you slept?”

  Rachel nearly melted on the spot at the feel of his fingers on her skin. “Probably the night I spent with you.” She bit her lip, appalled that she’d brought up the one night she desperately needed to forget.

  “As I recall,” he murmured, “we didn’t sleep much that night.” He leaned down and kissed her, his tongue soothing away the marks her teeth had made in her lip. “But that wasn’t what I meant. You need some rest.”

  “Not with you.” She pulled away, but he caught her arm easily and turned toward the cabin. He walked beside her in silence, ignoring her huffing and disgruntled sighs. She wanted to ask why he’d come back, how long he would be staying, but she didn’t want to hear he’d only stopped in to be sure they had enough to eat. Her heart would break all over again when he left.

  Rachel looked toward the eastern sky, where a line of color glowed along the horizon. “We need to hurry.” She tried to suit actions to words, but Jake held to their pace, keeping her tucked close to his side. “Jake?”

  “What’s the rush?”

  “Nathan will be worried.”

  As they came in sight of the cabin, Jake grabbed her arm, hauling her to a stop. “Rachel, there’s something I need to tell...to ask you.”

  Before he could continue, the door flew open and two boys tumbled out. Who was that? Rachel studied the child with Nathan as her brother came straight toward her. “Sis?”

  “I’m all right.” Rachel glanced at Jake and he released her. Nathan slipped an arm around her waist.

  “What were you doing, going into that old mine? Don’t you know it isn’t safe?”

  “I’m sorry if I worried you.” She took a deep breath and said a silent prayer for the strength to just make it the last few feet to the porch. She didn’t want to collapse on Nathan. She’d probably injure him again and Jake would have to carry them both inside.

  A tremor ran through her at the possibility of being in Jake’s arms again. Stop acting like a schoolgirl. He made it very clear. He doesn’t want you. She repeated that thought like a chant, over and over in her mind.

  Forcing what she hoped was a friendly smile, she turned to the other boy standing close to Jake. His blond hair was matted and messy. His face and hands had been washed, but his neck and ears were still the color of the dust covering his clothes. Fear and worry and anguish clouded the depths of his blue eyes. An answering ache bloomed inside Rachel. No one so young should hurt like that. The need to comfort and protect overwhelmed her. “Hello. My name is Rachel.”

  All color drained from the boy’s face and he looked panicked as he backed into Jake. The man laid a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “It’s all right, son. Nobody here is going to hurt you. This is Nathan’s sister.”

  “But he’ll find me here,” the child whispered, terror obvious in his eyes and voice. “I told you he’ll look here.”

  Rachel crouched down until she was eye level with the boy. “Who will find you?”

  Calvin shrank away from her even further.

  “I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Nathan came to Calvin’s side to reassure him. “I promised. Remember?”

  The boy didn’t look convinced. He stayed where he was, pressed up against Jake. “Rachel, this is Calvin.”

  The boy stared up at her as if the devil himself looked back. What could have happened to make him so frightened of her? And what was he doing here, with Jake?

  She didn’t ask the questions. No need to scare the boy further. “I’m getting cold,” she announced, making her voice cheerful. “Why don’t we go inside where it’s warm? I can make us all some breakfast. I’ll bet you’re hungry.”

  “She makes the best biscuits,” Nathan announced. “Wait until you taste them.”

  In spite of his apprehension, Calvin let Nathan lead him away from Jake. When Rachel turned to follow, Jake caught her arm and held her back.

  She yanked free. Her fury, her heartbreak, poured out in a torrent. “How dare you bring that boy here? After what you did, riding off and leaving me to face my neighbors alone. Now, you come back with a child. Who is he, Jake? Your son?”

  “Calm down, pretty girl. He’s not my son, but he is my responsibility.” He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, but she jerked away from his touch. “I found him tied up in a cave two days’ ride from here.”

  Rachel felt ill. Her anger faded, replaced by revulsion. “Tied up? Alone?” She pressed a hand to her stomach when Jake nodded.

  “Like an animal, with barely enough food to survive.” He took her elbow and started after the boys.

  Her heart broke for the boy. “I’m sorry I lost my temper. I’m glad you brought him here.”

  Jake caressed her arm all the way to her wrist and captured her hand. “This is the best place for him to be right now.”

  Rachel tried to ignore the thrill that went through her at his touch. She didn’t want to be glad he was back. “Why is he afraid of me?”

  “It isn’t you, exactly,” Jake explained. “The man that stole him from his family is the same one I’ve been chasing.”

  Rachel knew there was more, but they’d reached the cabin. She breathed a sigh of pure relief as Jake closed the door behind them. Nathan had the fire blazing, adding light and warmth to the cabin. Jake released her arm and helped her remove her coat. She couldn’t stop a shiver when his fingers caressed her neck and shoulders as he lifted the heavy garment. She stood rooted to the spot, helpless to resist him, not wanting him to touch her again—and praying he would.

  “Sit down before you fall down, woman,” he growled into her ear, his warm breath raising gooseflesh on her skin. Urging her toward the rocker, he went back outside, returning with an armload of wood. Rachel didn’t move. She could only stare in fascination at the play of muscle in his thighs as he stacked the wood near the hearth. She wanted to touch him, to feel the power beneath his skin again. Her breath shortened and her fingers tingled. A heaviness that had nothing to do with fatigue filled her, and her breasts grew tender.

  Jake went in and out twice more, bringing wood and buckets of water into the cabin. When he was satisfied they had enough, he closed and barred the door. He shook the dust from his coat and hung it on a peg. Her breath backed up as memories of touching those broad shoulders crowded into her mind.

  “What are you boys doing over there?”

  The reminder that there were children in the room broke the spell that held her motionless. She went to the stove to check the water in the kettle, anything to keep busy.

  Jake crossed to the table. “Calvin?”

  “Yes, sir?”

  Her heart turned over at the insecurity in the boy’s voice. She glanced over her shoulder, watching Jake sit on his heels to talk to the boy.

  “You need to wash up.”

  “I did.”

  Jake’s grin made her heart skip a beat.

  “Well, you need to do it again.” He raked Calvin’s clothes with a pointed look, then raised the child’s arms and drew attention to the dirt lingering at the wrists. “You missed a spot or two.”

  “Do I have to?”

  Jake chuckled and Rachel felt the sound all the way to her toes.

  “Yes, and so do I. Miss Rachel won’t allow us at the table unless we’re clean, and I’m getting hungry. Come on.” He rose in a fluid motion. “I’ll carry the water in there,” pointing to Rachel’s room. “I imagine Nathan has some clean clothes you can borrow for a day or two.”

  “Sure, I do.” Nathan jumped at the chance to help. “I’ll get ’em.” He ran for the stairs as fast as his i
njured leg allowed.

  “You don’t need to hurry that much. It’s going to take a while for him to scrub off all that dirt.” He urged Calvin toward the bedroom, then grabbed a bucket of water that had been warming on the hearth and followed. Jake pulled the curtain to cover the door, but Rachel could hear him reassuring the boy.

  “You go ahead and get started. I’ll come back and clean up when you’re done.”

  “No! Don’t leave me here.”

  Tears filled Rachel’s eyes. How horrible for one so young to have suffered as Calvin had.

  “I have to see to Griffin,” Jake soothed. “He took really good care of us all the way here, and he’s earned some special treatment. I’m not going far. If you need me, you just call out. I’ll hear you, and come right back.”

  The racket of Nathan coming down the stairs made it impossible to hear what else Jake said. Heaving a sigh of pure exhaustion, Rachel headed for the door. She hoped Moses and his brood had been busy overnight, or breakfast would be biscuits and bacon.

  The sky was turning pink, the color of the roses that grew on castle walls in her imagination. For a moment, she stood still and just watched, wondering what it would be like to live in a castle, surrounded by people, servants scurrying to do her bidding, tables piled high with food without her lifting a finger. Oh, what a wonderful thing that must be.

  “That smile is even more beautiful than the sunrise. What are you thinking about?”

  Rachel stiffened when Jake stepped close and wrapped his arms around her waist. His warmth beckoned. Hating herself, she relaxed against him. It didn’t matter if it was wrong, if he didn’t want her. She couldn’t help it. “I was just wondering what it would be like to have so much money that you never had to lift a finger to do any work.”

  “Is that why you were in the mine? You want to be rich?”

  His voice sounded so bitter she twisted in his arms to see his face. “No. I just wondered.” She separated herself from his arms and walked away.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “To see about eggs.” She left the door to the lean-to open in case Calvin or Nathan called out and crossed to the coops stacked against one wall. One of these days, she needed to build a shelf to get them off the ground. But, at least the cold didn’t slow their production. She smiled as she pulled six warm eggs from the nests of hay. It wasn’t a lot for the four of them, but it would do.

  She stood and stretched, cradling her precious cargo in her apron. Jake followed her out, leading Griffin with only a hand in his mane. The horse’s head was down, his brown eyes half closed. “He’s certainly docile this morning.”

  “He’s done in. We’ve been in the saddle since yesterday afternoon. With Harrison and his men on our trail, we couldn’t take time to rest.”

  “Jake, what happened to Calvin?”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  “Yes, I do. It must have been horrible.”

  He stared toward the rising sun. “I rescued him from some very bad people. Once I get them rounded up and turned over to a marshal somewhere, I’ll return Calvin to his family.”

  She heard what he wasn’t asking. “He’s welcome here as long as necessary.” There wasn’t much extra, but she’d find a way to take care of him.

  “Rachel?” He took her arm to tug her close. “There are some things you need to know. The man trailing us, William Harrison—”

  “Is he the same man who beat you so badly?”

  He smoothed his thumb across her brow and down her cheek, then wrapped one arm around her and turned toward the sunrise. “Yeah, but...”

  Jake stared at the horizon for several seconds, as if debating what to tell her. His fingers moved absently, stroking the hair away from her neck and teasing her sensitive skin. She hoped he would kiss her, prayed he would. The need grew until she nearly begged.

  “Calvin believes Harrison is...” He paused, kicking at the dirt, displaying an uncertainty she’d never seen in him.

  A sick feeling washed through her. Rachel gripped his wrist, stilling his hand. “What is it? You’re frightening me.”

  “He’s coming for you.”

  “Me? But why? I’ve never seen the man before the night of the storm.”

  “Yes, you have. You just don’t remember.”

  She concentrated, trying to picture the man who’d ridden up to the porch. She’d only glimpsed him through a slit in the shutters, refusing to unbar the door to so many strangers. He was probably tall, but it was impossible to know his true size because of the heavy coat he wore. His horse was a fine one, black, and the saddle had seemed expensive. But she hadn’t seen his face, only that he had a mustache and long, blond...

  She staggered as old memories collided with newer ones.

  “Easy, honey.” Jake steadied her, rescuing the eggs from a tumble to the dirt.

  “It’s him, isn’t it?” Her harsh whisper hurt her throat. “The man who killed Mama. And he knows where I am. We have to get out of here.” Panic filled her with a wild need to run away.

  “Calm down. He’s known since the night of the blizzard. I’m not sure he’s looking for you, but, even if he is, he won’t hurt you. I’ll kill him before he can get close.”

  She forced her fear aside by concentrating on Nathan and Calvin. “That poor boy. What did that monster do to him?”

  “Things a child should never have to suffer. But he needs love and care, and you’re the best one to give it to him. He’s under my protection, so the Texas Rangers will cover the cost of housing and feeding him—”

  “Stop right there, Jake McCain.”

  “Don’t argue with me. I can still take him to Fort Davis. I plan to pay for his care, no matter where he stays. I’d rather he stay with you. He needs mothering, tenderness, not a bunch of worn-out soldiers.”

  An argument failed to form in her tired mind. Calvin needed care, and she really didn’t have enough to feed another mouth. “All right. I’ll accept the food and supplies. But no more than you would pay anyone else.”

  “Fair enough.”

  One corner of his mouth kicked up, and she couldn’t resist touching his curved lips. Jake stood still and allowed her to explore for a few seconds, then took her hand and wrapped her fingers in the cloth of her apron. “Better get some breakfast started. I’ll see to Griffin before I come in and wash up.”

  She turned to go, but he spun her back and captured her lips with his own. She managed to move the eggs aside before she was crushed to him and all thought spun out of her head. Rachel buried her fingers in his hair, pouring all the emotions she’d kept in check for the last week into the kiss. She had no idea if they stood there for a minute or an hour. Only Jake existed, and she couldn’t help feeling she was right where she belonged. He ended the kiss, set her away from him, and backed up a step.

  “Damn,” he managed, breathing hard. “I’ve needed to do that for the longest time.”

  Rachel smiled. She knew it because she felt her swollen lips curve. Rising on her toes, she kissed him again. She had a sudden, maddening urge to pull him into the lean-to and bar the door. She’d actually taken a step toward him when the door opened behind them. She would have bolted, but Jake held her in place, chest to chest, close enough to feel his heat.

  “Mr. Jake?”

  She heard the uncertainty in the question. The poor child must be terrified.

  “We’re in the lean-to,” Jake called out. “Come on over here and let me see you.” By the time the boy rounded the corner, Rachel was halfway to the porch. Calvin offered her a small smile as he passed. She started humming, her fatigue forgotten in the glory of a new day. Jake had kissed her. He wanted her. Maybe there was hope after all.

  •♥•

  The man called Wolf rode a hundred paces ahead of Harrison and Cooke. It was only partly because of the stench of filth and death that rode them like a garment. Mostly it was self-preservation. At this distance, their first shot at him would likely miss. They needed hi
m to track the man and boy, but he wasn’t a fool. Harrison was just waiting for the right moment to put a bullet in his back. When the man decided Wolf was no longer necessary, his life wouldn’t be worth the dirt they’d bury him under. He had too much to live for to allow that to happen.

  He glanced at the tracks he followed, then up at the rocky desert stretching before them. The man was smart. He hoped it was the Texas Ranger that had dogged them since Pecos. He shuddered at the memory of that night, of the killing he hadn’t been able to prevent. He consoled himself that the man had been a down-on-his-luck miner, with no family depending on him. But it didn’t stop the guilt from plaguing him. Just another reason to see Harrison in hell.

  He pulled his horse to a stop and dismounted, making a show of looking at the tracks in the mud. He’d been making a slow, wide circle, giving the Ranger as much time to get ahead as he could, but Harrison was growing impatient.

  “Well?” The man in question rode up behind Wolf. “Where are they?”

  Wolf pointed northeast.

  “He’s heading back to Lucinda. How nice of him to make it easy for us to retrieve our property. I’ll be able to get the boy and the woman, all at the same time. I can’t wait to see my brother’s face when I bring his gift.”

  The tracker climbed back into the saddle, wishing Harrison didn’t have such a good sense of direction. If he was the kind who got lost in a crowded room, Wolf could have led them halfway to California and the son of a bitch would’ve been none the wiser. But Harrison was a decent tracker in his own right. He’d only hired Wolf because he wanted the best, and because Harrison didn’t do anything himself if he could pay a man to do it for him. Including kill an innocent woman.

  Harrison set the pace for Lucinda. It was out of Wolf’s hands, now. He thought back to the pretty woman who’d been an obsession for Harrison and his brother for longer than anyone remembered. Wolf had only glimpsed her, backlit by the fire, when she’d peered out through a shuttered window in a snowstorm, but she had a voice that warmed his frozen heart and hair the color of his dead wife’s.